Episode: 3
3/15/2016
Host: RJon Robins – Owner & CEO
How To Manage A Small Law Firm
Kay Van Wey
Founder
Van Wey Law
Lewis Landerholm
Founder
Landerholm Law
David Feakes
Founder
Feakes Associates
Michael Chasin
Co-Founder/CEO
Lexicata
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Lightning Round
Question 1: The best way to hire is to first contract the new employee out for a trial period before offering a permanent full time job.
Answer 1: I hire all new employees on a 90 day trial period. It is difficult to assess someone based on interview and reference checks alone. In addition, we do personality testing on potential employees so we can try and understand what type of person they may be to work with, how they may interact with clients and staff, and to also assess personal strengths and weaknesses. Having said that, we have hired people who were great on paper, but couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag. Conversely, I have taken a gamble on people that didn’t look so great on paper, but proved to be great employees. I say “try before you buy”. That is my two cents. -Kay Van Wey
Question 2: A law firm’s intake process should be predictable and the same for all new clients rather than customizing the process to each new client’s needs.
Answer 2: So this is a tricky question. Yes, every law firm should have standardized processes and systems in place for intake, there is no doubt about that. However, being rigged in your methods and systems is not the best way to go about things for any business, let alone during the sales/intake process. 2 main reasons/scenarios why intake should not be the same for ALL new clients.
1) The needs/desires of the client and firm are vastly different for different types of matters. It makes sense, right? Should you intake a personal injury client the same you would intake a business formation client? No. The emotional needs of the client are different and law firm’s needs are different as well. The PI client needs completely different docs delivered and signed (aka HIPPA authorization forms). You SHOULD have relatively standardized processes, but those should be catered to the matter type/practice area, not across the board for all clients.
2) No two clients should always be treated exactly the same, even if they are the same matter type. A perfect example of this is with the engagement letter signing phase of the intake process. If you always have a client come into the office to sign the engagement letter, that does not mean you should FORCE the client to come in and not have e-signature available for the clients who do not want to be inconvenienced by coming to your office. This is just one of many examples why a one-size-fits-all approach is impossible and why you need to be flexible in your approach when the scenario calls.
– Michael Chasin
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